Demons and Fairies
by CrazyPandaHat05
Summary: Fairy Tail welcomes their newest member, Freya, an amnesiac girl with a mysterious and unknown background. However, whilst on a mission, she encounters someone that knows more about her past than she does...
1. Chapter 1

" _Don't worry, my child. You will soon see the light of day..."_

That voice, those words.

They constantly echoed in the blonde's head for some time now, as if begging to tell her something, trying to get her remember a past memory that she had long forgotten like the rest. It was strange, she woke up out of the blue one day, with no idea who she was or how she got there. All she recalled was her name and her abilities that she soon discovered. Every single night where she managed to catch a few hours of peaceful slumber, the voice latched onto her, repeating itself over and over. Who ever it was, was trying to communicate to her, however leaving no sort of context as to who or what it was.

This is the story of the rogue mage named Freya who, unknown to her, holds a dark secret about her past which she will soon uncover.

* * *

Morning came by as quickly as ever. The sun rose in the far distance, casting shadows and light over everything created and forged by man and nature. Many would have probably missed this magnificent view every time dawn awaited it's turn to shine, however it wasn't anything that Freya would miss out on.

The young lady was slim in structure, with lovely golden blonde locks of hair that flowed down her back and over her shoulders, bright green eyes the color of sphenes longingly awaiting to finally see the light of day once again. Her skin was rather pale, paler than most but otherwise, she was a healthy being.

Although there is one thing about her that others, especially dark guilds have gladly attempted to take advantage of…

She had amnesia…

Sure, it was only a minor case that would possibly never happen again. In a sense, it was only her past that was long gone from her and it wasn't as if she couldn't just make new memories. But it made her wonder. What was her childhood like? Did she have a family and siblings? Surely they must have been powerful mages if she could perform dark matter magic. She had so many questions whizzing around in her head, so much that she couldn't keep track.

But she never allowed her hopes to rise. Despite being hunted down by both the council and guilds who were trying to trick her into joining, she enjoyed her life. It was peaceful at the best of times and she could do whatever she wanted. Within reason, of course…

Otherwise, she found no need for her destructive magic. Not until today…

For the last few days, she had made herself home within a forest nearby to the city of Magnolia. It was perfect location. She could get her peace and quiet, whilst having some place to go for small, simple jobs and supplies that would keep her going.  
But today, the forest wasn't so peaceful. She had fully awakened by the sound of explosions nearby, dark grey clouds of smoke arising, flaying out as soon as it reached the top of the trees.

At first, she considered it to be some sort of trap to lure her out into the open. She knew dark guilds would use techniques like that to get what they want, no matter how much destruction and chaos they would cause.

Did they really think that she was that stupid to simply let her curiosity get the best of her?

That's what she thought at first. She simply brushed it off as a failed plan and was about to move on to another area away from the danger.

That was until another explosion came, but in a different location, but still not too far from her current position. And then another one came, just like the last two. It was almost like a battle field, blinded by fury and fire.

There was a battle going on, but by who? And for what reason? Sure, there was a well known guild, two even, but surely they wouldn't have gone to the troubles to go out of town just to start a fight. Then she thought about it.

"Yeah, maybe they would..." She said to herself, sighing in defeat. No matter what it was, her curiosity would always get her into trouble, but this time, she was more intrigued than ever to discover the truth...

* * *

As she had secondly suspected. There was a fight going on between two guilds, Fairy Tail and another that she didn't recognize. Maybe they were just a small guild that was just up to mischief and causing trouble. It wouldn't of been the first time.

However, it seemed that whoever had caused the first explosion had dispersed some place else.

Wait…

No, there was someone there, laying in the shrubbery, his back against the tree giving him an upright position. Small droplets of blood dropped off the leaves, turning the environment around him red. At first, she thought that the human was dead, was killed in a battle and judging by the surrounding area that was completely annihilated, she could tell it was a violent one at best.

"Oh no..." She whispered upon witnessing this sight, moving the fauna out of the way to proceed forward cautiously in the open area.  
She crept up on the still body, slowly kneeling down to him. The mystery man had a rather attractive face. White skin, raven black hair to which the fringe was stuck down on his forehead by sweat. As well as that, he had a tough skinned physique, abs ripping down his stomach. Other than a pair of pants, shoes and a piece of silver jewelry around his neck, he didn't seem to have anything else on him. But what really caught her eye was the mark on the right side of his chest.

"Fairy Tail, huh?" She mumbled to herself. As she usually was with other guilds, she was rather cautious with helping. After all, she practically knew next to nothing about this guild, expect from how powerful it was, and the damage that they had down all around Magnolia alone, let alone the other towns all around Fiore. The thought alone was enough to bring a subtle yet humorous smile to her face.

She was nervous to get much closer to him to check on him. However to her relief, the male was still breathing as emphasized by his chest moving at a steady rate. He was merely unconscious, despite the alarming wound that continuously bled without showing much signs of stopping.

As someone who has survived all this time on her own, she gained some basic yet average skills, first aid being one of them. She ripped off a piece of her own shirt, exposing her own stomach in the process.

Sure, she didn't have any fresh water on her to disinfect the wound, and she admits her clothing wasn't as fresh either, but at least it would slow down the bleeding long enough for her to get him to safety or even back to his guild for proper treatment.  
With lightly pushing his back up to get the makeshift bandage around his waist, the man cringed, awakening him a little more from his slumber. She couldn't imagine the pain that he was in, let alone being forced to move whilst in that state.

No matter… Just a little longer…

Just as she was tying a tight knot around the cloth, his breathing quietened down rather quickly, his chest not moving in the same fashion as before. Immediately after, Freya looked down to his face and noticed that his dark blue eyes were opening, despite seeming like a forceful action.

He groaned, coughing a little to get oxygen back into his system once again. His vision was a little fuzzy, but he gradually made out the figure looming above him.

"Who…?"

Freya gave a sort of softened look as if to show that she meant no harm, although as the male could see, her body didn't give the same message. He could tell that she was scared and cautious like any other frail creature out in the wild.

"Who are you?" He asked suspiciously. Judging by her appearance alone, let aside the fact that he couldn't see any sort of guild mark on her person from the amount of skin was shown, he presumed for her to just be another citizen who was passing by. He had thought up other anomalies, especially from the fact that he didn't expect any strangers to come by when there was a series of dangerous fights going on. Then again, he didn't want to say anything to question her. Perhaps he was mistaken and there was an insignia underneath her clothing, hidden away from view.

"Just a girl who wants to help out… I can assure you that I mean no harm to you or to anyone else..."

That wasn't true. She was a pacifist by heart, but that didn't mean that she would never fight to defend herself, and if she had any, family, friends and allies.

That made the male even more curious about this mysterious being, however she didn't seem hostile. He would have to check with Makarov as soon as he got back to the guild.

But first…

Using his ice make magic, he froze the area where the wound was inflicted, freezing the blood in place for now so that he wouldn't pass out again if there was another fight. As well as not wanting to risk his own life, he didn't want to risk the human girl by him, who he came to assume that she was just another normal human who's gotten lost in the middle of the fight.

He pulled himself up onto his feet, his teeth clenched together tightly to stop his face from crinkling up in a cringe filled expression. A couple of grunts escaped, however Freya tried to make things a little more easier for him by helping him up.

"Thanks..." He mumbled between his hidden teeth, nodding in appreciation to the friendly help.

"Will you be okay to walk?"

The raven haired male nodded once again as his response, his expression quite serious. It seemed to be that he was cool headed type, which very much so fitted in contrast with the magic style. Although as rumors went by, she had heard about a fire dragon slayer in the same guild.

He surely must have been full of energy and hot-headed…

The green eyed maiden's thoughts quickly became adjusted to the boy that she had just helped.

"I'm Gray… Gray Fullbuster. Even if you don't give me your name, I won't force you to tell me it..."

That alone struck her with the feeling of guilt. Not precisely because of the fact that she wished to remain a complete mystery to him and the world, but more so that he didn't seem to think that she was the type to up and leave all of a sudden. She wasn't like that at all…

Just as he was about to leave the area, he stopped upon hearing a soft, yet just audible voice behind him.

"Freya..."

Gray turned to her, confusion evident in his expression. "Hm, you say something?"

"Freya… My name is Freya Rosenfeld..."

After that point, the two switched glances, as if to mentally say that they were going to get on just fine, even if it was a one time encounter.


	2. Chapter 2

And that was the truth. The two chatted away whilst on their way out of the forest, or more so, they were simply getting to know each other, as well with what was going on in what used to be a safe, yet peaceful forest where the only thing that was interrupting the stillness was the light, gentle breeze that swayed the fauna and leaves, as well as the small scale wildlife that passed by every now and then.

"So you don't know why they came about here?" Freya asked softly to the ice mage, who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"We figured that they were attempting to sneak into Magnolia at first to ambush us. With Oración Seis out of the way for now, the Red Hood are on their own to make their own decisions. Stupid, I know, but it seems that they have other motives but what, we don't know..."

Unfortunately, Freya may have known as to why the dark guild came about all of a sudden…

They were out in hoping to find her, and not in anyway that would that lead to a pleasant experience. Other than her powerful abilities that if trained and polished in a specific way, could wipe off a part of the town within minutes, she didn't know what else they were after.

However, she believed that now wasn't the right time to explain it. She had only just gained the trust of the mage, and even in the condition that he was in, she wouldn't want to engage in a fight with him. If the stories were true about them wrecking up the town on multiple occasions, she hoped that revealing the truth soon enough wouldn't land her in bigger trouble…

"Hopefully they will leave all of us alone after this…" Freya simply said, to which Gray nodded in agreement. He didn't seem the slightest bit suspicious, which probably was a good thing for the moment.

Upon dwelling in an awkward silence between the two, their attention was diverted to a large explosion nearby. It seemed to be that it was made of nothing but fire, although the flames quickly burned out within a matter of moments.

"Friend of yours?"

Gray gave a rather ironic smile, as if he could answer that question with both 'yes' and 'no'. In a sense, for him, it was complicated. Essentially, they felt that they were rivals working together in the same team, however, that rivalry was what made them closer, almost to the point where they seen each other in a more brotherly fashion, even if he hated to admit that.

"Flame brain? Yeah… The day that he doesn't over react in a fight is the day that the world will implode… It will definitely be the end of the world. Otherwise, he means well. If the situation asks for being serious, then you don't want to be on his bad side..."

He was really that powerful? Sure, Gray didn't seem the least bit scared, but the way that he was describing this 'Flame Brain', he seemed to hiding the fact that he was intimidated. From what he was saying, she wouldn't blame him…

"So..."

Before she could say much else, she heard a noise. It was close. She stopped in her tracks, narrowed eyes trailing around the area. If it hadn't been as quiet as it were, she most likely wouldn't have heard it, which would most likely end in an ambush.

"What's wrong?" Gray asked, realizing as soon as she stopped to a halt, just like any dog would do if a mysterious sound or smell would arise.

"We're not alone..."

* * *

"You sure that she's here?" Asked one of the red hooded males who was scouring the area, among with the rest of the dark guild.

"That's what the boss says… If you ask me, I think that they are all sending us on a wild goose chase. I doubt that the chick is even he-"

The first man quickly covered the other's mouth, stopping his sentence nearby to the end.

"Shush, they're here!" He whispered, using his staff pole to point down below towards the two mages, one of them being their main target.

So she was there after all…

With a nod of confirmation, the two dark mages tail-gated behind the two closely, although keeping a short distance so that they weren't caught in the act. After all, the last thing that the needed was their butts kicked to the point of humiliation. However, unlike the group that was disposed of a while back, they were nothing to fear in the slightest.

The two Red Hood members scaled their way through the trees, scattering across one branch to the other with enough skill to remain dead silent. But as skilful as they were, they weren't without making a few mistakes here and there…

One of the hooded men misguided his leap, causing him to land on a thick branch, however causing the leaves to shimmer like a set of rattling maracas.

This alone caught the female's attention. From living in the forest for some time, it was obvious that she knew that it wasn't just the wind, as many would presume. The noise of fluttering leaves seemed much more heavier than usual.

They were definitely being followed…

"Looks like we've been caught in the act. Perhaps it's time to show ourselves..."

The two hooded figures revealed themselves in the green forestry, their faces hidden in darkness which allowed them to tread freely without having to worry about being tracked down and thrown into prison. After hearing the stories about what they did to Jellal, they were correct to tread lightly.

Gray stepped in front of the girl protectively, his eyes narrowed in warning. He may not know who this being is but he certainly knew for sure that these guys were bad news.

"So, I see that you have made a new friend, Miss… Perhaps I didn't take him down hard enough the first time..."

The wound… He was the one that caused it!

That thought became drilled into her head, however she didn't have enough time to process it before the red hooded men initiated their first attack. They took out a piece of paper, swiftly drawing a sort of creature, one that Freya had never seen before. And before her eyes, the drawings came to life! Two large scaled goblins, completely under their control, towering over their opponents who were clearly at a disadvantage.

Or so it seemed at first…

Gray was in no condition to fight, a good part of his magic was gone from the last battle and we all know how that went. Freya was the type to keep something personal a secret, at least for a little while until she could fully trust the individual which by her lack of knowledge, has never happened.

She would have to set her secrecy aside…

She wrapped her arms around the male, high enough so that she wasn't touching his frozen wound and began enchanting a spell. In this day and age, spells weren't the least bit rare. In fact, it was very common with mages who wished to use their magic for combat.

But what made this spell rare was that it wasn't used in a language that was long since used. Freya couldn't exactly explain the details but the knowledge just there in her head, laying in dormant for the next time that she used it. Surely, it would be something to give her some sort of detail about her background, but until she could find out what, she would just keep on fighting to survive.

She completely recited the spell, her body growing dark from a strange aura for a mere moment before a sphere of blackened energy grew and bounced outwards, clearing anything and everything from it's path within a very minuscule diameter. But that was enough to destroy the goblins and push their opponents into unconsciousness. Funnily enough though, it didn't hurt Freya or Gray the same way as the members of Red Hood, but rather there was some sort of cold, depressing emptiness to it.  
The light of day eventually returned to the young mage's line of sights, which was blinded with nothingness during the blast.

The ice mage shut his eyes for a moment to get used to the sunlight, his pupils dilating enough to notice the amount of damage done to the forest. It almost made him reminded him of something that one of his friends would cause. Almost. It wasn't that bad as per say but still destructive.

He turned to the girl who had already released her hold of him, his dark eyes widened slightly although just enough to show shock. He wanted to be fully calm inside and out. He tried but what the hell was that!? In that short space of time, he thought that she was just a civilian, nothing more, nothing less. But from what he had just subtly witnessed, as well as the fact that those men were, as he discovered after her, there was more to this adventure than what he first assumed...

* * *

The journey back to the guild nothing more than awkward. Quick but quiet. After what had just happened, they didn't know much else to say, other than a question that had been burning in the male's mind the moment that they made it to the gates of the large scale building that was built precisely for the guild.

"So, would you like to tell me why those guys were after you?"

Freya paused by the gates, her stern yet worrisome moving to him before moving to the ground.

"I don't know… It's been happening for a while now with every other dark guild here and there. It could be something from my past, but my memory of anything then is practically gone. I hear voices, Gray, ones that feel so familiar but I just can't put my finger on it..."

Dark guilds going after her, no memory and now voices too? It seemed to be that this girl has been through a lot, but in the present day, there was no guarantee that it would only be the weaker guilds coming after her. He had a plan, but it would only work by the chance that she would co-operate.

"Sounds tough. Even then, I will have to tell our guild master about this. If there are guilds hunting you down, then we can't risk you and your abilities from falling into the wrong hands. But I can give you an offer. We can protect you, but all you need to do is trust us..."

Trust.

Such a small word with a big meaning behind it. Was that what this guild was really about? It seemed to be from what she had heard from Gray, she could presume that they were more than just a guild, but they were like a family.

Family… That does sound nice…

"Alright, I will take you on your offer..."

The moment seemed rather peaceful at first. Little did they know, there was a certain someone watching, waiting for their moment to take back what they believe is so rightfully theirs...


	3. Chapter 3

As many other people knew, the mages in Fairy Tail were quite… Interesting as per say. Despite their destructive nature, they all had big hearts. However, as well as that, they were a queer bunch that shouldn't be given a second glance and Freya was about to experience this for the first time…

Within the guild, Gray had a secret admirer, or more so, it was more of an obsessive one sided crush. Her name was Juvia. Even though normally many would see her as a sweet, young, blue haired woman, any females who have the opportunity to step in the guild and remain would instantly feel overwhelmed by her sense of jealousy at first. After all, she was _madly_ in love with Gray, emphasise on the word 'mad'.

She had been awaiting patiently for the next arrival of her knight in shining armor, joy began to quickly spread across her every being the moment that she saw him through the window, although that quickly dropped the moment that she seen a blonde haired girl standing right beside him, smiling at him. And she was attractive to!?

Her blood began to boil uncontrollably, to the point that smoke was coming out of her ears and nose like a raging bull.

"Gray-Sama!" She yelled out, attracting the attention of both Gray and his new found friend outside.

"Hm? What was that?" Freya asked, to which Gray gave a sigh of frustration.

"I'd prepare yourself..." He said as a rather vague warning, stepping aside to leave just the girl in view of anyone that passed by through the entrance.

Juvia proceeded to ram through the guild's door, although not ferociously enough to break them off their hinges. Her blue eyes remained locked onto her target and that was the green eyed blonde. She attacked Freya head on without even a single explanation as to what was happening. Because of Juvia was practically invincible to her attacks, as well the fact that Freya didn't want to risk hurting her, Freya was already losing what seemed to be an already lost battle. But she needed information, and she would need to get it fast…

Freya dodged the water mage's next attack, quickly getting her words out before Juvia could attack her again.

"Hey, what's the big deal!? I'm not the enemy!"

Despite her protests, the deadly glare that she was given didn't change in the slightest. In fact, she was pretty sure that it was worse than before.

"Gray-Sama is Juvia's only!" She shouted out, pointing a finger in the direction of the girl.

Now it all made sense. It was only a matter of a misunderstanding. She now could determine that Juvia seen herself as a love rival, although that was impossible considering how she didn't have any such remote feelings for the male, even if he was attractive.

Her tense body slowly relaxed as if to show that she wasn't hostile at all. All she wanted to do is talk things through although from how insane this girl was, (And probably for good reason too) she understood that she was only just protecting the guy that she loved.

"Hey look, I think we got off on the wrong foot. I am n-"

"Gray-Sama is mines!" She informed, not giving the blonde haired girl any sort of word in to explain that the situation was just one big misunderstanding. Frankly, it was too late to clear up the truth. Juvia created a water attack that was practically unavoidable. Unless she had super speed or some magical way to escape, she would have to take what seemed to be a brutal hit.

The force of the trail of water struck her, pushing her back with enough force to send her flying in the guild, her back crashing into what appeared to be another human being. She couldn't tell for sure at first, but whoever it was, was holding cake.

This wasn't anything particularly new to the members of the guild, especially with the constant fights between Natsu and Gray, but what took them by surprise was who came flying in. Their line of sights moved to the blonde haired stranger that was sprawled out on the floor, her back and arms coated with white icing.

Luckily, she came to rather quickly and that was probably for the best. What she witnessed first was not the crowd of people that were sitting in complete silence, bewildered, but it was an individual. She had red hair the colour of Scarlet, silver armor gleaming. She was rather attractive at best, and possibly was for quite a number of boys, but she could tell that she was about to see a side of her that no one would ever want to cross.

"M-My cake..." The red haired girl muttered, her entire body trembling at first from what could have been rage. Her eyes were widened, almost to the point that they looked like they were bulging out of her skull.

"Erza..." One person in the crowd said quietly, yet calmly. Just by looking around, everyone looked to be terrified. Was this 'Erza' that scary?

She was about to find out for herself…

The scarlet haired woman swiftly turned her head to look at the perpetrator. It wasn't anyone that she had seen before, but that didn't make anything any better. She was still just as pissed…

"You..." She said in a low, dangerous tone, forcing herself onto her feet and storming up to the seemingly helpless, green eyed female.

"W-Wait, I can e-..." She stammered, a squeak ending her interrupted sentence as Erza grabbed hold of the remnants of her shirt, dangling her in the air without even struggling at all. She was immensely strong and powerful, to the point that it was overwhelming. This was why everyone feared her in that type of situation…

Although, it didn't seem that Erza was going to kill her judging by the lack of weaponry, but rather give her a good beating to both teach Freya a lesson and relieve herself of her anger. But either way, Freya still felt threatened by it all.

Her green eyes slowly turned blood red, a black, shadow like aura surrounding her entire form, indulging her in darkness. Her clenched teeth resembled short fangs, almost vampire-like but even she knew that that was impossible. Even so, it was easy to determine that there were more to her than meets the eye…

Freya slashed in defence against her opponent, forcing her to drop her down to the ground, but unlike before where she would have taken off somewhere for peace, she remained in the exact spot, defending herself from anyone who came near her.

Just like a wild animal…

She wasn't going to stop, she didn't want to stop.

Something was slowly taking over her innocent self, something dangerous. But it didn't seem to be complete. After all, just from the call of her name was enough to snap out of the 'trance'. She was lucky that Gray had known her name, and called it. Otherwise, things could have taken a turn for the worst.

Everything predatory about her vanished. The black aura, the fangs, even her red eyes that preyed to spill blood changed back to a calm emerald green. She stood there, blinking blankly as if she had no recollection as to what had just happened.

Actually, that was the case…

The moment that she returned back to normal, she found herself once again surrounded by the members of the guild, but everyone, even Erza was shocked beyond relief.

"Where am I?" She asked rather innocently whilst taking a look of her surroundings. No one seemed to be willing to speak, for reasons that seemed to have been wiped from the girls memory. Her eyes glanced around the crowd and with a few individuals, the same insignia continued to come up.

Fairy Tail…

That's right, she got into a fight with Juvia, and then crossed paths with Erza who wasn't too happy, which could be said to be an understatement. But after that, it's just a blank space…

"I… I apologise for the trouble caused. I really shouldn't be here…" She said in thought before edging towards the already open set of doors. But what she didn't expect was to be confronted by a short, old man standing there. No insignia that was clear on his form. Who was he?

"That was quite a show you put on just then…" He said, to which confused the girl even more as to what had happened. Did she fight the red haired mage. It was hard to tell, but what he said next relieved her on edge expression.

"I am Makarov, the Guild Master. If it hadn't been for Gray informing me about how you helped him, as well as your current situation, I would have most likely seen you as an enemy just now… However, I will grant you the offer of joining Fairy Tail." He said, a smile growing on his face, but it was one that didn't seem malicious.

"There is always room for one more..."

That alone took her breath away. Join Fairy Tail? Honestly, she wasn't so sure about that at first, primarily from the fact that every other dark guild was after her. She didn't want to put anyone in danger, especially to these people who looked quite friendly… Well, when they want to be…

She was about to reject his offer, up until her open lips became sealed by Gray, who was standing right next to him with a comforting smile.

"Don't worry about us. We've got your back as you will have ours..."

They are offering the help that she so longed for as well as friendship, even a family!

Without saying a word, she finally nodded in acceptance to the man's offer, who grinned widely.

"Then young one, welcome to Fairy Tail!"


	4. Chapter 4

" _Welcome to Fairy Tail!"_

Those words stuck to her just as much as the unrecognisable thoughts that she had been hearing for the longest time. She was finally part of a guild and one that wouldn't take advantage of her. Despite the rough first greetings, she was finally content.

Because of her new recruitment, the guild had decided to throw a party in celebration, although the guild didn't really need a reason to party at all, with how often they did so in between missions. It seems that they wanted to cherish every moment of what could be of their short lives. After all, with how risky their missions could get, there's no absolute answer that they will come back alive…

Or it may simply just be that they were a loud, rowdy bunch that enjoyed partying…

Either way, it was definitely going to take some time to settle in.

"So, newbie. You must be pretty tough considering how you managed to make even Erza uneasy. We should have a battle sometime." A pink haired boy said upon wrapping his arm around the others neck in a friendly gesture, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"The names Natsu. Fai-"

Before he could continue, he was interrupted by Gray, who didn't seem all that impressed with the Dragon Slayers antics.

"Hey Flame Brain, quit bothering her. She doesn't need to be freaked out on the first day."

"Oh, don't get your panties in a twist, Ice Princess. I'm just chatting with her is all."

That was when the situation escalated for the worst. The cool-headed male was slowly losing his temper, and it was clear by his expression.

"What did you call me?"

"You heard me… Ice Princess..."

"Hey, knock it off!" A loud yet grumbling voice appeared from the crowd. Turning to identify who it was, it happened to have been a raven-haired male with piercings covering his eyebrows, nose and chin.

"Leave the lady alone, especially you..." He began, pointing a finger directly at Natsu. "Maybe she doesn't want to fight. Haven't you ever thought about that?"

It had been clear that he wasn't one of the usual hyperactive males that was usually found in the guild. In fact, judging by the glare he gave to the two individuals beside her, it was apparent that those three were like siblings, they always fought a childish fight but still cared for one another. Perhaps it was best to get ahead of them before this fight could escalate, with her right in the middle of it.

"It... It's okay. I don't mind… Whatever this is." She added rather hesitantly judging by the hesitance in her voice as well as the slightly uncomfortable look she held within her expression.

Funnily enough, that was the truth. She wasn't a fighter at all. In fact, she detested the idea of using violence for every problem but she still had abilities that were beyond saving her from a peaceful life. She was a mage after all, and now a member of Fairy Tail.

Gajeel merely just shrugged his shoulders quite casually, as if he didn't care about what trouble the girl got into. Sure, he intervened beforehand, but perhaps that was just out of the fact that she was new, and most likely had no idea about any of the hyperactive members, or even the ones that she would have to stay away unless she wanted to get into trouble.

"Well I want to know what she is able to do!" Natsu exclaimed in protest rather excitedly.

"Then let's finish a celebration and then I will assign your group a mission. Don't worry though, I will make sure that it isn't too strenuous since it seems that this is your first one. Right?"

Mirajane intervened into the conversation, giving the young blonde a calm and subtle glance, mainly to keep her from panicking over the suddenness of the situation.

Freya had been nervous about all of this, mainly because she didn't want to let anyone down, or more so, see any of her new-found friends get hurt. After all, with living a life of loneliness, the uncertainty with working with others came with the territory.

"Sounds good."

A smile edged on her face momentarily by the thoughtfulness that the white-haired women gave to her. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. After all, from what she had seen and heard from some of the locals, they had been made out to be monsters in human form but in reality, they seem to be genuinely nice.

However, her daze came to an end rather quickly, since the dragon slayer leapt on her in a cheerful fashion from her agreement on taking on a job with Team Natsu. The weight of the male caught the girl off guard as she collapsed to the ground with the hot head on top. In fact, it was safe to say that it wasn't only Natsu that was feeling pretty hot. The blondes face had turned crimson red, her mouth parting slightly in order to scream, let alone speak, yet no such words came out.

An arrange of teasing comments and cheering came from the rest of the guild, the voices echoing across the room forcing the girl to cover her face with her hands with true embarrassment.

"Shut up!" The pink haired fire mage yelled out, only to realize where his priorities were meant to be given towards.

"Ah, sorry!" He yelped, scrambling off of her form in a rush before reaching out a hand in order to help her up onto her feet.

It didn't too long belong before Freya's senses returned back to reality, allowing the torturing variation of cheers and flirtatious whistling to come to a dull end. The colour remained on her face, her mouth not even moving to give even a 'thank you' for the boy's consideration but yet she didn't even have to do so. Natsu had already known deep down that she had been at least thankful for his help, despite landing her in an awkward situation.

"A-Anyway, let's get the celebration started! Mirajane, can you get us some drinks?"

"Right away!"

That had been the last question that was asked during the night. The rest of the evening was just a matter of insanity. Drunken singing and dancing had came from it all, leading to the usual celebration filled with laughter and glee just as any other party hard group would find themselves in.

However, this could only last for so long.

Soon enough, the celebration came to an end, night time came to be and everyone had decided to go home for the night, or at least those who hadn't already passed out in the guild from drinking an indescribable amount of drink. Of course, Freya wasn't a drinker at all, but rather she spent most of the night outdoors and under the stars. As soon as dawn came about would be the first of a wide series of events that would bring them closer as friends, even family. But perhaps there was the possibility that it would even open even more questions about who she was, and whom she was to trust…

* * *

Several weeks had passed since her involvement with the rumbustious guild became a thing. The frail, blonde haired female became rather fond of her new friends, even coming to the point that she was enthusiastic in going on jobs, even if it meant that her life was at risk. However, the fun was soon to end, leading to the greatest dilemma of her life.

A mission had finally come up for Team Natsu. A nearby town had been said to be strangely abandoned, almost like a ghost town. However, the strange thing about it was aside from the fact that the person whom had sent the request was not to be seen, but that it wasn't entirely empty. There had been some sort of eerie vibe, as if what had been caused was by a powerful force that were still around, possibly watching their every move. It was clear that it made Happy quite nervous and on-guard.

Yeah, as if ghosts were a thing, the blonde zodiac mage thought to herself. If only she could actually convince herself effectively, judging by her legs that trembled like jelly.

"Alright, it's probably best to split up for the time being and meet back up soon. That way we can cover more ground that way…" Erza explained, her glance moving over to the lower classed mages, as well as the new-comer who despite all that time, still remained as a big mystery to the guild.

Of course, no-one had a problem with the plan, or more so no one was brave enough to reject the red-head's plan, considering the swords woman had quite the reputation, especially amongst Natsu and Gray who received Erza's out lash most of the time due to their arguments.

"Sounds good, but will you be alright?" Lucy asked the green-eyed mage, whom simply gave a nod, a smile of reassurance sticking in place of her pale, dainty features.

"I'll be fine…"

But as Freya was about to find out, this wasn't going to be the case…

As instructed, the group went their own individual ways, each taking a separate route to find out what exactly was going on. But as they had predicted from their arrival, there was no one around. Most of the homes were checked and nothing but wreckage was left at the scene.

Were they attacked?

The thought seemed likely, but the next question was…

Who could do something like this?

Upon leaving one of the premises, the sound of a slamming window was to show the mysterious mage that there was at least something around, but they haven't shown themselves yet.

The loud noise made her jump, a shock rushing up her spine as if a cold gust of wind had latched onto her back, freezing it into submission.

"Just a window…" She muttered to herself to calm herself down, a deep breath exhaled in relief that there wasn't anything. For all she knew, the town could be a literal ghost town, holding the spiritual visitor's captive for all eternity.

But she wasn't alone…

Within the blink of an eye, the entire world around her went grey. Nothing but shades of black and white as far as the eye could see. Was is supposed to be scheduled for rain today? That would explain why her environment had a dull, chilling vibe to it, and why she could still see the variation of hues of her skin. To be honest, with being all alone again, perhaps her insecurities were arising again, making her try to come up with the least scariest reasons behind the phenomena.

" _Don't worry, my child. I won't hurt you..."_

Those words… That voice…

Wait… It couldn't be…

Her glance shifted to the side, her head slowly turning to voice the source of the familiar tone that once occupied her dreams and her imagination.

But now she had come to acknowledge that the voice she had been hearing for so long wasn't a part of her driven to insanity by her sudden case of amnesia, but rather, took the place of a human form with seemingly gentle pitch-black eyes that gave a perfect complexion to his noir hair.

"Who…? How?" Just these two simple words had escaped Freya's lips, the female absolutely flabbergasted by this discovery. It was already enough to take in, but she was sure to get an overload of information within moments of their first meet-up.

A humorous smile eased on his face, clearly realizing what she had mentioned by such vague questions.

"It seems as if you have lost your memory. I will have to introduce myself. My name is Zeref. As for how I know you young one, you will have to wait and see what the future brings…"

Although his voice was rather calm and comforting, she couldn't help but sense malicious intent behind his words. What did he mean wait? Who was he?

Who was she?

"Just for today, I will let you go this time around, however, next time, I will give you the choice of coming along with me. You don't belong in this world, so I will send some of my creations to come and find you. As for that…" He stated, the kind smile he gave turned into a cold frown, which now emphasised his quiet, frightening tone.

"…Until then, do not say a word to the guild. I'd rather that they weren't involved in any of this."

Yet, she wasn't given much time to answer. A blink of a pair of wavering green eyes was all that was needed to return colour into the world, or whatever colour was still around at that point. There was no way that a regular human could disappear just like that. Maybe he was just a ghost and he was merely just getting into her head. What other logical reasoning was there after all?

"Hey… Hey!"

The voice echoed around her, as if it was only just a thought, but the voice quickly grew clearer by the second, a faint echoing now turned into screaming in order to grab her attention. It worked, but not in the way that others might presume.

With a jilt of the head, the girl's instincts came in, her fist clashing with something soft, yet it still made a cracking sound on contact. The screaming became rather distant after so. It was only then that she had realized that whilst spaced out, she had accidently punched Natsu in the face.

"Oi, oi! What the hell was that for!? Did you catch something off of Gray?" Natsu screamed out in his usual hot-headed fashion while rubbing the red mark on his face. That really was going to hurt tomorrow. Unfortunately, his comment received an immediately response by the ice-mage, whom had a comical cross shaped vein popping on the side of his forehead.

"What was that, Flame Brain!?"

Maybe it was best to intercept quickly, otherwise Erza will catch on…

"Easy guys, I'm sorry about that. I never expected you guys to be so close by, especially with the searching and all. Did you find anything at all?"

The two paused briefly by Freya's comment, frowns all around.

"Nothing…" The two said one after the other.

"It's been completely empty as far as we can see… Maybe we were just sent on a wild goose chase… Although, I take it that you at least seen something to be dazed out like that."

Without even speaking a single word, the strange man's words had rung in her head like a soothing alarm.

' _Until then, do not say a word to the guild.'_

Despite making up the presumption that he wasn't real at all, maybe it was best to keep it a secret for now. It was better to remain cautious for the time being, considering how it seemed suspicious that someone knew about her past life. Perhaps he had something to do with the disappearance of everyone from the surreal town.

"Don't worry, it was nothing." She quickly rejected the boys comment with a cheerful smile. "I just thought that a memory was coming back is all."

"Hey, that's great! Let's get going and find everyone else..." Natsu began, the blue exceed behind him continuing the sentence.

"Before the ghosts come and find us…"

Her inner self breathing a sigh of relief. At least they had fallen for her white lie. But seriously, that's what the cat was worried about? If only they knew about the trouble she had just gotten into just then. Even so, it didn't even seem that the world was moving in his presence. Maybe the guild will figure something out when the time comes… Or, at least she hoped it would come down to that…


	5. Chapter 5 (Part 1)

' _Until then, do not say a word to the guild.'_

Was this guy really telling the truth about himself? Now that she thought about it, he didn't even reveal anything about himself, except from his name. But if he didn't want the guild to find out about him and his return, then he was clearly suspicious.

"You alright? You've been awfully quiet ever since we left that town. Did you really not see anything?"

Green eyes peered up from the floorboards of the carriage. One of the obvious sights was the pink haired boy's head stuck out of the window, the body limping on the inside almost as if all the life was sucked out of him. In fact, it was precisely what it was. The last that she remembered was that the dragon slayer had motion sickness, just like the rest of them.

But aside from so, her glance had moved over to the red-headed women whom had asked her the question.

"Yeah, I'm fine… I just… Got a lot on my mind. I guess I'm still trying to piece some parts together but it's just not coming together."

In a sense, that was precisely what was happening, but at the same time, why was she holding back the full-on truth? Surely Fairy Tail could handle the situation considering how they had some over-powered mages in the group. But judging by Erza's expression, she didn't seem entirely convinced.

"Well I can't force you to explain to us if something went on back there, but if you do need to talk it out, you have the guild to speak out to." She spoke with a sincere expression, almost to comfort the puzzled girl.

"You don't have to face any of this on your own. We are all family. You can tell us anything."

Easy to say. If Zeref was that confident, then he must have had some tricks up his sleeve. If he was already speaking to her mentally, would it be possible that he had control over her thoughts, reading them every time she was slowly but gradually questioning her choices?

"I know… Thank you…" The Blonde said quietly to the other woman with a smile.

With that situation now dealt with, the silence grew back once again. Well, in terms of words. Natsu was still violently throwing up just by the carriage ride, and Lucy remaining by his side to make sure that he didn't fall out of the open window.

Was he going to be okay?

* * *

By the end of the journey, days have passed but she finally got her answer. It seemed that Natsu was still alive. Potentially one foot in the grave at this point, but still alive. Either way, it still took one of them to carry the pink haired boy in.

"I…I think I'm just going to go get some rest. That journey was pretty tiring…"

"Sure thing! Just be sure to come to the guild in a few hours though. It seems that we may be having another celebration today…" Lucy stated, although judging by the expression that she gave, it was probably another off-the-top get-together which normally ended with some people fighting to their hearts content.

In truth though, she didn't exactly want to be in the public eye just yet. Not with such a troublesome look. Even so, if Erza could pick up that she wasn't telling them everything, then surely everyone else would be the same. What would they think of her afterwards? Would there be any trust at all?

That was what she was worried about the most…

* * *

Arriving in the peaceful sanctuary of her own room that was graciously handed over to her, the girl's expression had finally fallen into a relieved one. How she was able to pull that off for days was beyond her understanding but either way, she needed to get her facts straight before coming to a decision, otherwise it may be too late to turn back. As she had said, maybe getting some sleep was all that was needed to clear her head, or more so, allow her to forget that any of this had happened...

It seemed that sleep was instantaneous. From the soft, velvety touch of the blankets, to the fluffy pillows that she rested her head upon, it was far too comfortable for words. It also didn't help that the moment she came off of her feet and laid down, her mind moved over to her slightly aching muscles from travelling to the ghost town by foot in the first place. She probably didn't even realize with her mind going elsewhere, worrying about everything else that was going on in her life.

Yet, a peaceful dream was to soon turn into a nightmare…

* * *

Darkness had soon turned into a vague image; fuzzy, unclear but contained a lot of bright but cool colors. An open grassy field covered with fully bloomed flowers was swaying in the gentle, summery breeze, a blue sky with no clouds in sight, and the heat of the beaming sun shining down was all that was needed to create the perfect scenery. But once it all became vivid in her mind within a matter of time, that was when it all turned around for the worst.

Just one blink back into pitch darkness was needed in order to change everything. The sky had turned red, a shower of blood racing downwards at a heavy pace, the quaint field which screamed sunshine and happiness was now literally just that, screaming. Wails and cries came from every single direction, disfigured bodies slain and laid in an unpeaceful rest, and buildings crumbling within the flames of hell. It certainly seemed to be the place. Yet, that wasn't all that terrified the mage…

In between all of the chaos, stood a lone figure. Black hair and black eyes, just like before, a calm and somewhat creepy smile just remaining on his face.  
"This will be the outcome if you do tell your friends, I'm afraid. But I have given you time to come up with your choice. Will you come along with us?"

Sure, it may have been just a dream, but who knows what this guy can do! The blonde's legs began to feel like jelly at first, but eventually they gave out, forcing her into a kneeling position just beyond the male whom she had met before.

Without even giving an answer at first, mostly from the traumatic sights, she took the brief moment to close her gaping mouth. The mixed red and green eyes wavered, watery tears glazing over them. What the hell was happening!?

"No… I refuse… Why should I trust you? You haven't even given me any information on who I am!" She finally whispered out, voice arising at a rapid pace. Even she couldn't hold back the fact that she was scared, to the point that her hands were trembling behind her back.

"Because, my dear…" He began, eyes narrowed slightly to show impatience. One step after the other, he gradually began to grow closer to the girl sitting on the ground. His hand gently went underneath her chin and slowly raised it to look at her directly. If only he could explain the look that she gave… Considering what he had already known about her, she was weak…

"… I am your creator…"

Wait…What?


	6. Chapter 5 (Part 2)

Wait... What did he just say?

 _"Because I am your creator..."_

Even if she was in a subconscious dream state, she could still feel her legs become wobbly leg jelly, eyes widened in a pure panic as her form slumped until she was on her knees in front of the dark figure, as if the mans stare was enough to control her actions. What did he even mean by that? Was her entire life nothing more than a lie?!

A humorous smile etched across Zerefs lips, a gentle hand resting on the girls crown of golden locks.

"Now, now... You don't have to be scared of me. I won't hurt you, my dear but you can't stay with those humans. You don't belong there and staying there will only bring you even more trouble than it's worth. Why, you may ask... You are one of us; a demon..."

That explained some things, like the amnesia, and the sudden blackouts whenever she lost herself to her anger. It made sense, but it still left her with more questions than she had answers to."

However..." The males voice began once again, retracting his hand to allow Freya to look up. However what she saw was not the same humourous expression he held previously, but rather a stern one with cold eyes.

"I will give you the choice, stay and face the consequences, or come with me."

It was a promising choice, but it was clear that her heart was still conflicted. He may have been her long-lost father figure to her, but Faory Tail had been there for her, and treated her more like family than he had ever done. Could she betray them like this, or even allow them to get hurt over a situation that she was suddenly plunged in the middle of?

The uncertain silence was interupted by a heavy sigh, the tapping fingers eminating the same cursed aura as before when she had her first conflict with Erza.

"I suppose I will have to persuade you to make a decision. Don't worry, this won't hurt at all."

"Hey, wai-!" She yelled out, but it was far too late. With the simple snap of his fingers, her mind had been sent into complete darkness, a hazy nothingness in which her himan self was lost and couldn't awaken from but worst of all, allowed her true demonic form to roam free.

Eyes struck open only to see a blood red ceiling within a noire fog. She felt dizzy, a heavy pressure attempting to force her to the ground. Every part of her felt heavy, slow and numb, yet her body moved naturally on it's own, and all the way down to the guild.

The sounds coming from within the guild was as expected, a loud atmosphere that gladly welcomed any average person who entered a massive headache, but to her, it was nothing more than just pure muffled noises merged together. At least that was until the door was opened with enough force for the hinges to creak, struggling to keep a safe grip on the walls.

By that point, all the rambunctious fighting and arguing came to a halt, resulting in an unusual silence.

"Uh, hey Frey..." Natsu said upon being pushed towards the seemingly unamused girl, nervously chuckling. After all, if she was able to make even Erza nervous, then there was no arguing about it; As friendly as she was, she was still dangerous when mad, but why was she mad, he thought to himself.

"So, no hard feelings, right? We promise that we will quieten down, as long as ice-boy over there knows how to behave himself once in a while." He mentioned, not only taking the chance to loop his arm around Freya's neck, but to also pull a fast one on Gray, whom at that point remained unamused, despite not saying another word due to the intense atmosphere.

But as much as the boys arguing would usually make the 'golden girl' laugh, there wasn't a single change in her response, not even a single smile. But this doesn't mean that there wasn't an eventual reaction.

Her head slowly raised just enough to look at Natsu from the corner of her eye, revealing orbs that were a bright, firey crimson in colour, murderous and hungering for bloodshed.

Despite the glowing shine, it was too late for Natsu to dodge or block the attack, or for anyone to warn him as a matter of fact. The cursed energy that now rushed through her body had locked onto the dragon slayer at point blank, blasting him across the room and into the plastered wall, breaking it on impact and allowing several pieces to crumble out of place. Droplets of blood spulrted out of his mouth upon impact, the whites of his eyes showing momentarily. Then again, with a dark red burn across his chest being the sign of her retaliation, it wasn't surpising that he was knocked out...

But the fact that Freya turned against her comrade was...

Everyone at that moment became cautious of the demon girl. There was nonway that she physically harmed a friend over a little tussel and noise, even if wasn't considered 'little' the majority of the time when the two mages were in the same room.

Right?

Erza was the first to try and resolve the sitaution. Unarmed with her swords and taking slow but careful steps, she spoke out in a strict but genuinely concerned tone.

"Alright, lets just calm down and talk this through. We're family, if there is anything bothering yoy, you can tell us. We'll listen."

 _Family..._

For some reason that word sent a sickening feeling down in her stomach, the continous gentleness of words echoing through her mind, seranading it with what would usually be a sense of relief, but rather the same sentence did not seise the guilt-filled sorrow that dwelled in her heart. If she was supposed to be a merciless demon sent to end these people, then why was she struggling this much? Why was she feeling so ashamed?

 **Who am I?**

The blonde haired woman wobbled from side to side, her balance threatening to give out any moment. Even within the next few steps she had struggled, like a baby taking their first steps into the open world.

But without coming to such a realisation, she was surrounded by the guild members.

Many had that certain look as she strolled by at a snails pace. At first, it was several worried glances, yet the blonding darkness changed all of that. What used to be worry began to become disfigured and molded into a typical looks of judgmental distrust.

 _Why are you looking at me like that?_

The blurred lips of the silhouettes didn't move at all, but words of inferiority and alienation began ringing in her ears at once through near to clear muttering. They would never say stuff like that. They were kind, and loving. Or was it all just a ruse to release her true self?

 _Do you really not want me here that badly?_

 _I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..._

 _Just make it stop!_

That had been it. She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't handle the staring, the voices, the now beating of her aching heart that would shatter with a single punch. But it all collided together. Freya finally snapped...

"Leave me alone..." She finally said, getting out words one at a time.

"Freya..." Mirajane had said in a concerned tone, reaching out to assistassist the girl, but inly to stopped by a swift hand swiping away her help.

"I said to leave me alone!" Freya yelled breathelessly, tears pricking her eyes and now streaming down her face, a fierce human-like expression plastered upon her face.

But that wasn't the end of it...

"I thought I could trust you, but you are just like them! I now know who I am now, and you will pay for decieving me like this."

The sudden outburst forced all of the cursed, negative energy to expell in the form of an explosion, with her at the detonator. A piercing scream could be heard through the heat of the dark void, the walls of the building collapsing from the mere pressure she had endured all that time, the floorboards breaking apart and vibrating, leaving the place in ruins and everyone either unconscious or unable to move, including the cause of the explosion, whom laid there, still and heavily burnt. And here they thought that Natsu and Gray's constant bickering would cause this, but rather it ended with the worst sitation.

In the end, it was clear to them that somehow, Freya had switched aide s and the guild members were now in the hands of Zeref and his demonic manifistations.


	7. Chapter 6

The pain was too much...Why did it have to end this way? Though in the end, she was whom she was, a demon created by the Tartaros book forged by Zeref, and a monster.

Sounds of a crackling fire was peaceful to listen to, inviting a certain warmth to anyone who came close to the open lame. She could just picture the translucent, hot colours, the way that it wavered whilst it remained still, almost as if it had a peculiar serenity and beauty to it.

 _But why didn't it seem real?_

Beyond that, the vision escalated from a gentle flame, to a burnt down city that met its last breath to the demonic hands of humanities enemies. People screaming out in terror, dragons roaring in an animalistic rage whilst the demons orchestrated the entire thing. And here she was in the background of the entire thing, witnessing the massacre of the human race.

Was this her actual memory?

A tingling sensation brought along her sense of feeling back. Could have been fear, or it could have been a sense of excitement through the adrenaline rush. She couldn't tell for sure, but perhaps that was the consequence of siding by the humans. Either way, the memory began fading, her consciousness dwindling back into the real world. Her eyes slowly fluttered open to a small room, the walls paved with sangria painted bricks neatly placed one on top of the other. The more that she looked around, she gave her attention to the guard standing there, his face hidden behind a helmet. Yet, for some reason, she couldn't get over the feeling that they were watching her every move.

"I see that you are awake now…"

The unexpected voice made Freya jump into an upward position, though her attention was brought to other matters. Her wounds from previously was now healed despite leaving scars, pieces of night blue armour latching onto her pale skin, or at least enough to cover any of her feminine areas. Compared to her previous angelic white attire that was most likely ruined by the prior blast, the armour was a little scandalous for her liking, but it wasn't as if she was going to complain like a child. She would have to deal with it.

Regardless, the moment of peace that lead to her discovering these changes was drawn to a close by the soft patter of footsteps approaching from the hallway. Once the being came into view, an all too familiar face was enough to bring a slight scowl to the girl's lips. The formal attire, the long, wavy hair up in a ponytail with certain parts that fell across his slanted ebony eyes, a natural smirk and a brown book he held in one hand that completed his entire look. It could only be one person…

"Mard Geer… It's been a while…"

"Indeed, it has. Though it seems like you didn't miss me at all." The man added, leaving forward until he was merely a few inches away from her face, staring into the girl's blood eyes and with a clear sign of disgust noticeably on her features.

As much as it was obvious, the two demons got along as well as oil and water. He didn't care for humans at all whilst she remained to have a soft spot for them. As well as that, his arrogance was enough to piss her off. How someone could be so self-centred and with a superiority complex was beyond her recognition.

"Yeah, no kidding, now do you mind getting your face out of mines?" She asked, attempting to use a single hand to push him out of the way. Mard had grabbed her arm just in time before it came into contact, his keen sight glancing up and down the arm. The guild mark was something that brought along an inhuman grip, tightening to force out an expression of mild discomfort on Freya's face. If only she could punch the sneer off his face at that moment.

Mard placed the aging book down to the side, using his free hand to trace a specific pattern across her cheek. Tribal patterns formed from her race no doubt, but she did not appreciate the physical contact. Leaning in more, he spoke quietly in her ear, his cold, hushed breath trickling down her spine.

" _Even if you are one of us, I won't have any issue of breaking your arm the next time you try to push Mard Geer away."_

Those certain words felt like a punch to the stomach, but she wasn't surprised. After all, the guy only cared for his own priorities. Why would he care about some whom was 'tainted by low-life scum'?

Pushing himself away from the crimson eyed blonde, he released his tight grip on Freya and grabbed the book once again. While she rubbed the faint indents in her arm, Mard had stopped in his tracks, using a single wrist motion as if he knew precisely that his companion was secretly sending daggers his way through her glare.

"Come along. I wish to show you something."

As much as she wanted to make a sarcastic comment about him wanting to show something that would inflate his ego, but in hindsight, there was still an overhanging sense of curiosity on what this 'something' was. If it was something that he was particularly keen in showing, then it couldn't be good. Hands down…

With a troubling feeling of dread, she merely gave a hum of recognition before getting up on her feet, of course losing her balance at first but followed along rather quickly, though keeping a watchful eye on her 'ally'.

What was he truly planning?

The sickening churning deep in her abdomen grew more and more distressed by every step, her mind echoing the torment of the past, and what she presumed to be the present as identified by the familiar screams around the fortress. If she didn't have to act tough just to keep her limbs in place, then she would have easily shown some form of tension. There was no way she could agree with any of this, given if it was her decision. Unfortunately, it wasn't.

Fearful anticipation quickly turning into a heart-wrenching scene with just a single step into a specific room, one that was dimly lit with candles fitted into the brick surface. To a regular human, it would have been difficult to make out anything but a squirming shadow, but the eyes of a demon came in handy for once, as much as she didn't care to admit. What she saw was a colliding mess of pink and red hair, enveloped in Mard Geer's thorny vines and struggling, but with a fiery look of rage and shock now staring directly at her.

" _Freya?"_

"Natsu?" She questioned underneath her breath, choking on her own words as a result.

"Hm? So you do know their name. That is indeed what our leader hoped for." Mard Geer spoke out upon their reunion, a deep, sadistic chuckle vibrating against his throat.

As expected, the dragon slayer bared his fangs, a dangerous heat pouring off of his body purely out of an unstoppable anger.

"Let go off my friends! You hurt them, and I will burn you to a crisp!" Natsu screamed, releasing every inch of air out of his lungs, refusing to give up even if they ached from a lack of oxygen.

An amused smirk rose on the dark haired mans face, his hand clenched enough to tighten the cursed vines that negated Natsu's magic. He released a struggled cry of agony as a result, the thorns now piercing through skin and muscle. Soon enough, it would most likely reach his nerves, and eventually kill him if the twisted Tartoros member continued this way.

Initiating a glare towards the demon, she intervened on his 'fun' with an impatient tone, a rough growl hidden underneath. Though deep down, all she wanted to keep the injuries to a minimum. With any luck, her friend will have a better chance of surviving once help came.

"So why did you bring me here?"

What was more often than not a smirk quickly reverted into a frown, followed by a pair of unamused, narrowed eyes staring down at her, a clear sign that he was mildly irritated.

"You're the one who's going to end his life…"

Eh?

* * *

Her heart practically jumped and dropped down into her stomach once those words left his lips. At first, it could have been that she misheard, but with this guy, there wasn't much, if any chance that that was the case. Naturally, it was all part of a test, one that would prove her loyalty to Zeref. However, that major detail on what she was assigned to do was all that was given to her before Mard Geer left the room, the silence soon setting in as his footsteps disappeared.  
With the startling news slowly subsiding, she finally glanced back over to the blossom-haired male, the harshness in his eyes not seizing for even a moment.

"So, what are you going to do? Kill me? Betray all of us after we placed our trust on you? We took you in as if you were one of us. Actually, you were one of us. As long as you still have the guild mark, your family. Let us help you… Whatever happened, we will prot-"

Freya had heard enough. She was finished listening to his protests. Her mind was already made up, to which Natsu knew was for the worst. Indicated by the burning curse energy in her hand, she was going to be his executioner. Abruptly stopping his small speech in his tracks, her hand finally came down to strike a blow. At first Natsu truly thought that she was going to betray him, to betray the guilds name.

But he didn't feel any pain other than the restraints.

But rather…

Confusion? Relief?

The vines were the only thing that feel apart from her attack, the boy's eyes completely lost on what had just happened. After all, as she figured out from their time on jobs, he wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. It took only a gentle smile for him to finally put two and two together, a toothy grin playing upon his features.

"Geez, you had me worried there for a second. Though next time, a warning in advance would be appreciated." He lectured with a rough chuckle, wincing slightly from the injuries. Until they find Wendy, it wasn't going to be easy…

"But tell me, what made you change your mind?" He asked, more so out of curiosity than anything else.

"It's as you said. You guys are my real family. Besides, just knowing that I can wipe that damn smile off of that bastard's face will be worth it in the end." She said, crossing her arms across her chest. With the lack of clothing, a light draft was coming from somewhere. Perhaps behind the stone wall was the outer world.

Though this was definitely a different side to the girl than what Natsu knew before and could never imagine, but strangely enough, he couldn't complain. In fact, he actually admired her more confident, gutsy style compared to the timid blonde lamb that she was before. It was refreshing to say the least.

"Let's get going. The others should be around here somewhere…"

Though before another single word could be ushered from their lips, and in time with Freya spinning around towards the entrance, a single thick branch came into her view, her eyes widening momentarily as her mouth gaped open. Though the more that she lowered her line of sight, the more that she saw red. Blood?

Wait?

It was her own blood…

She didn't realise it at first upon impact. The physical pain hadn't kicked in yet from the initial shock and adrenaline rush. Her mind couldn't keep with what was happening at all. The tears came back again, though this time, a trail of blood leaking from her mouth, down her chin and onto the puddle below.

 _Drip. Drop._

Slowly, the branch that was lodged within her stomach was pulled out by an invincible force, blood pouring out of the open wound and leaving only time spread the stinging numbness through her body.

First the stomach, then the chest, then her arms and legs and soon her vision began to diminish. The last thing she saw through the faded ocean in her eyes was the same man whom put her up for it. It was clear to her now. She was now deemed one of them.

And there was no turning back…

It all ended with her body falling backwards, the feeling almost like slow motion, especially with all her senses failing to identify how close to the ground she was but the last thing she could make out was a muffled voice nearby, calling out trying to reach to her.

" **Freya? Freya!"**


	8. Chapter 7

"Freya!"

Natsu's arms and legs were already strained and bleeding from the multiple pierced wounds, but as emphasised time and time again, that didn't stop him from lunging forward, swooping his limbs underneath the delicate, falling frame to comfort the harsh impact of the fall. He grunted from the initial weight of her limp form, which at first felt surprisingly heavy. But for the time being, she was still breathing, just barely but that was good enough for now.

Furious eyes rose up to the perpetrator, the smirk that Mard Geer always gave immediately provoked the Fairy member like a hungry lion with a raw cut of steak dangling in front of it's face. Talk about fanning the flames…

If only he was alone. He could have let loose with his magic and set the entire room up in an unstoppable blaze, but he didn't, as his family's safety was his first priority. Quick thinking aside, one wrong move could end the both of their lives, and considering his current situation, all he could do was dodge until he got an opening to escape from.

The room was miniscule, leaving very little space to mover around in, and it didn't help that the vines growing and bending across the walls and the ground made it feel smaller by the second. Though compared to before, an arrangement of bright petal shaped curses danced around together, forming the shape of a rose. Instinctively, Natsu turned his back to the wall whilst shielding the body he held with his arms as best he could, taking most of the force of the familiar attack. His back struck first on the brittle surface, his hold tightening around the girl's form as the fresh air from the grey world outside became revealed.

Blood and saliva crept out of his grinded teeth, eyes shut momentarily to endure what would be a bone-crushing experience to any normal person.

But breaking a bone or two wouldn't stop him and his dragon-like spirit.

A single breeze coursed through his thick, spiky hair, the initial sweat from the force of the explosion drying off gradually as he fell onto solid ground. It was pure luck that they were relatively low within the building, his feet being able to touch the surface of the ground first, the soles of his shoes burning like rubber as he slid backwards upon the rocky gravel, ergo leaving a shallow crevice from where his feet were.

The crunching sound was soon replaced by silence, the surrounding air filled with dust particles that obstructed his line of sight for a brief amount of time, yet it was just that brief moment that gave him the advantage.

He couldn't fight with the woman in his arms. At this point, both of them were like sitting ducks. With their cover slowly evaporating, he took no time at all getting into a safe hiding spot behind one of the large spires that loomed over the pathway.

An obvious place at best, but for the time being and in the situation they were stuck in, it was the best he could do for his injured comrade. Laying the girl upright to allow her to breath, his attention was soon brought to the weak, trembling grip on his tattered clothing. There were no such signs of her being awake, though perhaps it was just a coincidental instinct that drove her and whatever energy she had to give him encouragement. A smile of relief hanging across his face purely by the fact that she was trying her hardest in fighting death herself.

"Everything is going to be okay. I won't allow you to give up on yourself." He began in a genuine, soft tone, although with a subtle hint of a joking threat, as in 'if you give up right here, right now, then I will somehow bring you back to life to fight you'.

Typical Natsu… If only the rest of her was responsive, she could have given at least a smile, or a snarky comment as a response.

But of course, the sweet, tender moment could only last for so long.

"What a sweet moment… It's quite interesting as to how you can place your trust on the traitor. You don't even realise that your feelings cloud your judgement. So arrogant, but Mard Geer is intrigued."

The voice spoke out with a certain coldness that could send chills up anyone's spine, but Natsu didn't budge at all, but rather a murderous stare to the man slowly approaching.

"Don't you dare call her a traitor." He barked back at him. "Even if she's a demon, she's just as human as us, probably even more than others, which is why I won't give up on her!"

With both of his fists colliding against each other, a magic symbol symbolising a dragon formed. The flames appeared on his hands, spreading to his forearms as he dived towards the enemy at fill speed. Mard Geer raised his hand, flicking it in a graceful fashion to summon a group of vines, ordering the plants to charge at Natsu to ensnare and kill him. At the last split second, the fire mage leapt onto the thick forestry, manoeuvring across from one end to another until he was close enough to attack.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

His first came into contact with Mard Geer's arm, the blunt force of the punch pushing him back a little, though despite so, he hid the pain well behind the usual smirk. With a swift kick whilst still in mid-air, Mard Geer's vines retracted from the previous attack, shaping itself around Natsu's ankle to restrain his movements.

"And this is why our kind will always be supreme."

His form was slammed into the ground before thrown off to the side, like a dog playing with a chew toy. He was practically messing with the human and without putting up much of a fight.

Bleeding, bruised, just the humiliation was enough to fuel the boy's hot-headed nature. His arms trembled as he tried to get himself back onto his feet, but Mard Geer quickly slammed him back onto the ground. The pressure dug into his body more into the rocky surface, forming a rattling across the ground similar to an earthquake. That should have been enough, right?

Natsu breathed in as much as he could without coughing up blood. His back hurt, his ribs was in agony. The could easily be broken by this point if not already. But he had to keep going; for his friends, his family, for Freya…

Damn it all…

"Well, what do we have here?" The familiar voice rang out like nails on a chalkboard, causing the struggling boy to tense up. Even by that single question, his blood began to boil.

His head moved slowly over to his ally's position, though the worst-case scenario was gradually becoming a reality by each approaching step. Natsu's eyes wavered with pure anger, the man ahead grabbing hold of the blonde by the neck as if she didn't weight anything at all. Each drop of blood that fell below her echoed in the dragon slayer's ears, inducing his rage even more. With widened eyes filled with a blood-thirsty fury, his battered form began to engulf itself in flames, the voice that came from him cold and deadly.

"Get your damn hands off of her…" He whispered, shakily raising himself to his feet.

"Hm? And here Mard Geer thought you wouldn't be able to move anymore. Quite the persistent one, aren't we?" Mard added, fanning the already lit flames by treating Natsu like a child.

The familiar vines began to waver across the girl's heart, forcing Natsu to freeze up in spot. A cowardly act of manipulation, but it held the angry flame back, despite his temptation to wreak havoc on anyone whom stood in his path. Ultimately, what held him back was despite her enhanced durability that kept her heart going, she could still die, and it didn't guarantee that she would be safe if he tried attacking him.

Natsu had fallen into Mard's trap…

"It seems like you humans have more brains than what Mard Geer first assumed, but in the end, you have lost."

Though was that really the case?

The cursed flora reclined at first, as if he was letting his guard down. But her wasn't like that…

Everyone on both sides knew how merciless he was. Cruel and unforgiving. He wasn't the type that would just let her go free.

He was going to end her life once and for all…

So why was Natsu smiling?

The vines were mere inches away from her chest, diving towards it's target at full speed, but just as the tip scraped across the pale, grey skin, a thick layer of ice coated the cursed object, as well as Mard Geer's arm, forcing him to loosen his grip enough for her to slip through.

"Perfect timing! Where have you been!?" Natsu yelled over to his stripping comrade, Gray,

"I came back to the guild burnt down. It was either that it was your doing, or something happened whilst I was gone, so I figured it was the later since there was no one around. But you really have had your hands full…"

The hot-headed male sniggered at Gray's comment, an irritated tick marking the side of his head. Normally, he would retaliate but they had other matter to worry about.

"I'll get back to you on that… Can you stop the bleeding?" He asked, his strict glance moving to the seemingly lifeless form in the ever-growing puddle of scarlet.

 _She couldn't die…_

 _Not now…_

He clenched his fanged teeth together from anger, his knuckles turning white from how tight his grip was. Frustration was eating away at his patience piece by piece, little by little. Though, with sharing a single glance, they still had a chance, and they both knew it well.

The temporary ice barricade around the demon's arm shattered into little sparkling stars, leaving nothing more than a demon with an unamused expression, eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Adding to your numbers won't help you." He stated whilst preparing his next attack, a sphere of darkened curse energy that grew more and more. However, between the three of them and despite their opponent forging his attack, Gray was the first to strike.

"Ice Make: Lance!"

Spears of ice shot up from the ground, driving itself in a straight formation that allowed their lone enemy to block the attack without moving an inch, using his free hand to summon more vines to collide with the magic ice.

They really needed to try harder than that, he mused within his thoughts, his lips tingling into a grin at the sheer thought of taunting them. He was prepared to, but Natsu went in for the next blow as soon as the vines were put into place. Despite the eventual arrival of the ice mage, Natsu hadn't calmed down at all. He was still a burning ball of wrath and lightning, with the only way he could release some steam being to crush Mard Geer into the ground without a second thought.

"Lightning Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Mard Geer was prepared to dodge, he was trying to, but one thing kept him in his place. It wasn't that he froze up, but it was the girl by his feet, eyes drooped from forcing herself to remain awake as blood dripping down her chin. Her armed grip was around his leg, her body trembling by how cold it became from blood loss.

"Let go!" He barked, he said, shaking his leg harshly so that he was kicking the 'anchor' holding him down. A few of the kicks landed on her face and her neck, her body dragging back and forth against the rubble, leaving her unable to breathe. But in the end…

 **Game over…**

The final set of blows was brought to the mans face, each one throwing him back with nothing more than brute force, scorch marks darkening his face and tearing off several layers of skin with the shape of his fists. Taking something like that was already impossible to take and walk away unscathed, demon or not.

It was safe to say they had won, and all thanks to Natsu's brash temper.

The smoke soon cleared, the gentle ground of their enemy who somehow, was still partly conscious. Luckily, he didn't seem to be moving much. Perhaps they could get away with leaving him there for now. Less than him was the heavily exhausted Natsu who had already collapsed on his knees now that his magic levels were drained, and his adrenaline rush was depleted. He choked out a chuckle out of victory. But even if they won the fight, there was one thing for certain:

 _Gray would have to carry them back to town…_


	9. Chapter 8

The remainder o the battles again the Tartaros demons went near enough in the same fashion. One by one, despite coming out of the building in bad shape, Fairy Tail remained victorious.

For the majority at least.

Construction soon underwent to rebuild the guild building once again, each member that was out on jobs at the time or were only minorly injured in the commotion helped out in whatever way the could. In other words, it was either construction or trying to keep Natsu occupied, or even trying to get him to rest, which usually became Erza's problem, due to her scary personality whenever the poor boy was unintentionally causing some sort of trouble, especially when Gray was around.

Though time after time, it went from a cheerful, loud atmosphere that any of the locals were uneasy about due to their destructive reputation, to a peaceful silence of the dorms in which the demon girl laid to rest.

It was a close call, but after having her wound froze to stop more blood, multiple blood transfusions and Wendy's sky magic to heal, she survived.

But she hasn't woken up yet…

 _Until one day…_

* * *

The darkness that once clouded her dreams started growing lighter. From ebony to grey, to a blinding white that formed her surroundings as far as the eye could see. All except a lone man with a peaceful expression.

Zeref…

"Do you really need to go through my head like this?" Freya questioned with a light bitterness in her tone, especially considering how bad this scenario went the last time. If anything, she didn't have any reason to trust him in the slightest.

"You still haven't woken up since the incident. Besides. A creator and his creation alone in privacy to have a talk… It's nice isn't it?"

No words seemed to pry from her lips, considering she believed that there was nothing that had to be talked out, leading to a hurt look with puppy dog eyes staring her way. Judging by the single undecisive hum and sigh, it seemed as if she was easing up on her grudge and willing to listen for the time being.

"Very well… But if this is about the whole matter with Fairy Tail, I've made up my mind and I am staying with them."

"I know…"

"And ca—Wait… You know?" She abruptly stopped her first comment, questioning his own in a dumbfounded manner, slightly widened eyes peering over at him for an answer that would quench her curiosity.

A gentle nod gave her his answer, relief hammering down into what was an incredibly tense atmosphere. At least now she was willing to listen…

"I was the one who sent you here. Erasing your memories was necessary for you to become close to the humans, but it seems it may have done more harm than good. I didn't expect my subjects to treat you in such a way. Though now… You know everything about your past."

He wasn't wrong about it, and it was obvious that he wasn't lying. But…

"Then why are you here? What else do you want to tell me?"

 _He approached her…_

Closer and closer he got, only silence beckoning towards her until there was only a minimum amount of space between them. His hand began to raise…

 _Just like last time…_

That sense of unease grew once again. Was he going to make her lose her mind again? Her body pulled back from his reach instinctively, a cautious look melting into her eyes. Though as much as she pulled back. He stepped forward regardless of the fact that she could still hurt him in her subconscious mind.

Though instead, his hand met with the top of her head, ruffling her hair just enough so that it didn't mess it up too much.

"I know that I have done wrong, and I know that you probably won't forgive me, but as your creator, I wish to be more of a father figure and keep an eye on you, even if it's just in your state of sleep." Je spoke in a hushed, gentle voice, similar to what a mother would use for her child, and so out of character compared to the average demon. His hand moved from her golden locks and down to the space in between her should blades, a swift tug pulling her into a gentle embrace.

Eyes now widened by the sudden action, her body remained tense by the strange phenomena known as 'hugging'. Though, as much as she didn't want to admit it, her more that she welcomed his warmth, the more calming it felt.

"But if anyone does hurt you, I won't hesitant to terminate them…" Zeref pointed out all of the sudden, his tone reverting to a more threatening one. Now that was the typical demon personality… But in the end, it still left a humoured smile on her face.

As if Zeref needed to do anything, especially if the guild members were let loose.

"I wouldn't expect much else…" Freya added with a small laugh. "… But alright… I'll put my trust in you…"

Those few blissful words echoed as she spoke, the blinding white light that surrounded them now swallowed the two whole, guiding the girl back to the safe reaches of reality.

* * *

Crimson orbs fluttered open to the somewhat empty room.

Her room…

It was cozy but spacious, the perfect combination for the homely feel, but despite the softness of fresh clean sheets in the bed she was rested upon, it didn't help the uncomfortable stiffness in her bones and a tingling burning in her abdomen where the wound was in the final stages of healing. A tired groan moved in her throat, alerting the presence of Gray whom she didn't initially see at first. He peered over, giving one of his rare small smiles.

"Welcome back to the land of the living. How are you feeling?"

"Seen better days and been in better shape." Freya responded with a croaky voice and a huff of laughter, given that she had just awoken from a week of medical rest. Her body creaked as she raised herself in an upright position, one eye closed to flinch with the sharp pain that came during her transition. "… How long was I out for?"

"About a week, give or take…"

A week? Just that answer alone brought along nothing but silence, and a troubled look to raise on her exhausted face. It was a pretty clear sign that Gray should step in.

"Something the matter?" He asked.

The girl gave a hesitant look, moving it down to the silky silver robe that she wore, fingers clenching on the blanket and creasing the edge. But in the end, she knew that keeping everything to herself would just get her and others into more trouble, as was emphasised previously.

"Well… I guess it just came to mind about how much trouble I have caused for all of you. If I didn't show up, none of you would have gotten hurt, and Natsu wouldn't have to bother with protecting me. Even when I accidently burned down the guild, I couldn't help at all. Thi—"

Gray, whom had heard enough, interrupted her self-deprecating rambling with a heavy sigh and knocked the back of her head with a single punch. She kneeled over, rubbing at the sort with a cringed expression. Naturally, it soon turned into an annoyed one.

"O-Oi, what was that for!?" She exclaimed quite loudly.

"For one, you don't give yourself enough credit. The flame brain told me everything that happened, and we saw what you did back there. Besides…"

He reached over and gently grabbed hold of her wrist, holding the back of her tattooed hand for her to view as he continued to speak.

"As long as you have this mark, it doesn't matter if you screw up from time to time. We are family. We protect each other no matter how bothersome the situation becomes. You know that you can trust us, so if anything does come up, tell us. We can help you in whatever way we can."

Her black pupils wavered from his touching words, her sight not leaving the imprint on her hand. Everything seemed too good to be true, but maybe this type of reality could be something she can learn to be content with.

"Thank you, Gray…" She said in a grateful tone, an emotional smile tugging at her lips, but with a swift movement of her arm, she returned his previous gesture and punched the back of his head.

"That was for hitting an injured girl." She added, though only adding fuel to a heated, yet harmless bickering between the two.

"I really wouldn't call that injured. If you aren't, then fight me…"

"I would, but aren't you afraid I will wreck you?" She retorted, her smile quickly turning into a smirk and leaving the usually calm-headed boy irked, their faces ground nearer by the second of every insult.

"Demon Woman!"

"Ice-Boy!"

"Umm… Did we miss something?"

The two stopped their argument and blinked once the third voice spoke out of nowhere, blankly turning their heads to the now open door, and to the numerous worried glances of their guildmates.

"If there is anything wrong, you can tell us. You don't have to fight like this…" Mirajane added onto Natsu's question out of a motherly comfort, leading to the confused expressions of Freya and Gray to grow even more confused. Their attention was drawn to each other.

Silence…

But laughter soon ensued between the twp. The group just looking as confused but waiting for an explanation as to what was so funny.

"Sorry." Freya began, a teary-eyed grin brightening up her features. "… I guess you can say I pulled a Natsu then."

As much as they were relieved that the two teammates weren't aggressively fighting, the couldn't shake away the nervous thought of there now being two Natsu-like personalities around. Except from Natsu himself, who was beaming ear to ear.

"You hear that Gray? I have someone who will back me up from now on!"

Everyone could be heard groaned from that statement.

But as they expected, it was almost as if they were related…


End file.
